1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a background image setting method and a background image setting apparatus for setting a color and a pattern used in a background of a photograph album in which images obtained by a digital camera or the like are laid out. The present invention also relates to a computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the background image setting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known systems for reproducing image data by using an output device such as a printer or a monitor. The image data for such a system are obtained by an imaging device such as a digital camera and a digital camcorder, or obtained by reading an image or images recorded on a photographic film with a scanner. Images represented by the image data are not only reproduced but also arranged in a desired layout for generating a photograph album. Such an album may be printed or displayed on a monitor.
Meanwhile, human vision is influenced strongly by a background color. Therefore, when two identical color charts are viewed with different background colors, colors in the charts are recognized as different colors. For this reason, a method has been proposed for changing a background color for an image to be displayed on a monitor (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10 (1998)-145582). In this method, when an image to be printed is displayed on a monitor for confirmation of a finish thereof, a color of a background for the image is changed based on a color of a background for the print and on information regarding a light in which the print is viewed. In this manner, the image displayed on the monitor looks the same as the print viewed in the background color in the light.
A color of a background of a photograph album is generally white or a pale color such as beige. Since an image looks different in different background colors as has been described above, it can be thought that there is a more preferable background color for images to be laid out in a photograph album. Furthermore, a pattern in the background also causes the images in the album to look different.